James Baquet

    Ming and Becky are talking about incorrect expressions again in the common room of their dorm.

    Ming: Hi, Becky. Ready for more?

    Becky: Always!

    Ming: OK, thanks. I think my teacher said, “I’m giving you leadway on your assignment’s due date.” Is that right?

    Becky: Leadway? No. It’s “leeway.”

    Ming: What’s the difference?

    Becky: First, there’s no such word as “leadway.” “Leeway,” on the other hand, means enough time, or space, or resources, to accomplish something.

    Ming: So “giving us leeway” on a due date means giving us extra time?

    Becky: Maybe. Or maybe it means giving you two weeks to do an assignment that should only take a few days. Something like that.

    Ming: Got it. Let me ask you this: what does it mean to “take a different tact?”

    Becky: Tact? T-A-C-T?

    Ming: Right.

    Becky: No, it’s “tack.” “Tact” is an uncountable noun. It’s something like “good manners,” or “knowing the right thing to say.” So you can’t have “a tact.”

    Ming: Why do people say it, then?

    Becky: Maybe because it sounds like “tack,” and they’re thinking of “tactic,” like: “try a different tactic.”

    Ming: So, what does “tack” mean?

    Becky: In this case, it’s the path someone takes, especially if it’s different from the previous one. It was originally a sailing term, and had to do with one’s direction in relation to the wind. But here, it’s about the choice of direction one takes.

    Ming: I think I get it. Anyway, “to take a different tack” means to change direction?

    Becky: Yes, or to change methods.

    Ming: Good enough. OK, why do we say that someone said something “tongue and cheek?”

    Becky: There we go again! It’s “tongue IN cheek”!

    Ming: Really? Why?

    Becky: OK, stick your tongue in your left cheek, and look in the mirror at your left eye. What do you see?

    Ming: Oh! I’m winking a little!

    Becky: That’s right! So saying something “tongue in cheek” means you’re winking, which indicates that you’re joking, or even lying.

    Ming: I totally get it!

    Becky: We can also bend the expression a little, like “he said that with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.”

    Ming: I love this one! OK, one more: Why do you say “take something for granite?” Why is that stone so meaningful?

    Becky: Not “granite,” Ming. “Granted.”

    Ming: What does that mean?

    Becky: It means that we assume something is true. We take it for granted — we assume — that parents should love their children. Things like that.

    Ming: I see. So we could also say “take it as a given,” something like that?

    Becky: Exactly.

    Ming: OK, Becky. Thanks again.